Chrysanthemum plant named Autumn Denise

ABSTRACT

A Chrysanthemum plant named Autumn Denise particularly characterized by its flat capitulum form; spooned decorative capitulum type; light red-bronze ray floret color; diameter across face of capitulum of 76 to 89 mm when fully opened; branching pattern is spreading and prolific, with 6 to 9 breaks after pinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and 6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for spring flowerings; natural season flower date of August 25 to September 3 when planting rooted cuttings on June 21 to June 23 in Salinas, Calif., and September 30 when planting rooted cuttings June 11 in Hightstown, N.J.; flowering response of 45 to 49 days after rooting in no light/no shade programs in spring; plant height of 33 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with no growth regulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm when grown in 10 cm pots in spring with no applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP; and durable, uniform performance.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora, andreferred to by the cultivar name Autumn Denise.

Autumn Denise, identified as 8019 (88-308E01), is a product of amutation induction program. The new cultivar was discovered and selectedby Leon Glicenstein on Jul. 8, 1991, in a controlled environment inSalinas, Calif. as one flowering plant within a flowering blockestablished as rooted cuttings from stock plants which had been exposedas unrooted cuttings to an X-ray source of 2000 rads in Fort Myers, Fla.on Mar. 6, 1991. The irradiated parent cultivar was the cultivaridentified as Denise, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,178, anddescribed as a garden mum with a flat spooned decorative flower;greyed-orange ray floret color; diameter across face of capitulum of 76to 89 mm when fully opened; spreading and prolific branching pattern,with 6 to 9 breaks after pinch when grown outside under naturaldaylength in fall flowerings, and 5 to 8 breaks after pinch when grownin 10 cm pots for spring flowerings; natural season flowering date ofAugust 25 to 31 when planting rooted cuttings June 21 to 23 in Salinas,Calif., and September 30 to October 15 when planting rooted cuttingsJune 11 to June 18 in Highstown, N.J.; flowering response of 45 to 49days after rooting in no light/no shade programs in spring; plant heightof 30 to 41 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with no growthregulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm when grown in fall under naturaldaylength with no growth regulators in California, and 21 to 25 cm whengrown in 10 cm pots in spring with 0 to 2 applications of 2500 ppm B-9SP. The ranges of measurements for Denise given here are wider than themeasurements given in the plant patent for Denise. This is based oncontinuing flowering trials of Denise after filing the plant patentapplication for Denise.

The irradiation program resulting in Autumn Denise had as its primaryobjective the expansion of color ranges of the parent cultivar Denise.The irradiation program comprised irradiating cuttings of the parentcultivar at irradiation levels of 1500, 1750 and 2000 rads. A total of1299 cuttings harvested from a total of 225 irradiated plants wereplanted on May 13 and 6, 1991, respectively. Of these, 26 initialselections were made, which selections were then revegetated andreflowered. Three consecutive flowerings resulted in discarding 20 ofthe original 26 selections on Mar. 19, 1992. Two codes were reselected,which reselections were ultimately discarded on Nov. 10, 1992. Theremaining six selections were maintained as PIs (Possible Introductions)and further trialed in Salinas, Calif., Hightstown, N.J. and Leamington,Ontario, Canada, ultimately resulting in the decision to discard four ofthese codes on Oct. 1, 1992 and to introduce selection 8019 as AutumnDenise and selection 8032 as Sunny Denise. Sunny Denise is disclosed inpending plant patent application Ser. No. 08/168,174.

The first act of asexual reproduction of Autumn Denise was accomplishedwhen vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection inSeptember 1991 in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif., bytechnicians working under supervision of Leon Glicenstein.

Horticultural examination of controlled flowerings of successiveplantings has shown that the unique combination of characteristics asherein disclosed for Autumn Denise are firmly fixed and are retainedthrough successive generations of asexual reproduction.

Autumn Denise has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength, without,however, any variation in genotype.

The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plantsgrown in controlled open areas in Salinas, Calif., and in Hightstown,N.J. Rooted cuttings were established in soil and maintained outdoorsunder the natural temperature and daylength prevailing during Junethrough October. Spring flowerings were conducted in Salinas, Calif.under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used incommercial greenhouse practice for small pot spring garden mumproduction.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of Autumn Denise, which, in combination,distinguish this Chrysanthemum as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Spooned decorative capitulum type.

3. Light red-bronze ray floret color.

4. Diameter across face of capitulum of 76 to 89 mm when fully opened.

5. Branching pattern is spreading and prolific, with 6 to 9 breaks afterpinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for springflowerings.

6. Natural season flower date of August 25 to September 3 when plantingrooted cuttings on June 21 to June 23 in Salinas, Calif., and September30 when planting rooted cuttings June 11 in Highstown, N.J.

7. Flowering response of 45 to 49 days after rooting in no light/noshade programs in spring.

8. Plant height of 33 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength withno growth regulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm when grown in fall undernatural daylength in California, and 21 cm when grown in 10 cm pots inspring with no applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP.

9. Durable, uniform performance.

The accompanying photographic drawing is a color photographic of AutumnDenise grown as a pinched garden mum under natural season outsideconditions in Salinas, Calif., with the colors being as nearly true aspossible with illustrations of this type. Plants were grown outside anddug and transplanted into 15 cm bulb pans at flowering time forphotography purposes.

Of the commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similar inthe comparison to Autumn Denise is the parent cultivar Denise. In theabove description of Autumn Denise, the ranges of values for AutumnDenise are much narrower than the ranges of values given for Denise.This is based on the fact that Denise was flowered over many years,while Autumn Denise was flowered over a period of only one and a halfyears. All traits of Autumn Denise are similar to those of Denise,except for the ray floret color. The ray floret color of Autumn Deniseis light red-bronze, much darker than the greyed-orange ray floret colorof Denise. This color difference is particularly pronounced in springgreenhouse pot programs. In fall, outdoor natural season flowerings,Denise develops more pigments under the higher light intensity prevalentunder outdoor conditions as compared to greenhouse conditions. However,even in the fall, Autumn Denise is significantly darker than Denise.

In the following description color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart. The color values were determined onplant material grown as a pinched garden mum grown under natural seasonoutside conditions in Salinas, Calif. on Aug. 27, 1993.

Classification:

Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cv Autumn Denise.

Commercial.--Flat spooned decorative spray pot mum and garden mum.

INFLORESCENCE

A. Capitulum:

Form.--Flat.

Type.--Spooned decorative.

Diameter across face.--76 to 89 mm when fully opened.

B. Corolla of ray florets:

Color (general tonality from a distance of three meters).--Lightred-bronze.

Color (upper surface).--Fully mature petal tips closest to 173C.Immature petals 173C, tinged with 179B.

Color (under surface).--163D, tinged with 179B.

Shape.--Spooned, with large section of the ray floret flattened andspoon-like, giving the impression of a decorative capitulum type.

C. Corolla of disc florets:

Color (mature).--14B.

Color (immature).--144B.

D. Reproductive organs:

Androecium.--Present on disc florets only, no to very scant pollen.

Gynoecium.--Present on both ray and disc florets.

PLANT

A. General Appearance:

Height.--33 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with no growthregulators in New Jersey, 25 to 30 cm when grown in fall under naturaldaylength in California, and 21 cm when grown in 10 cm pots in springwith no applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP.

Branching pattern.--Spreading and prolific, with 6 to 9 breaks afterpinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for springflowerings.

B. Foliage:

Color (upper surface).--147A.

Color (under surface).--147B.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named Autumn Denise,as described and illustrated.